Draft mechanism



E. C. WASHBURN. DRAFT MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED AUG.4, 1919.

Patented Dec. 28, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN C. WASHBURN, OF ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY.

DRAFT MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Dec. 28, 1920.

Application filed August 4, 1919. Serial No. 315,059.

This invention relates to draft mechanism A railway train in passing from one track to another, entering a siding or rounding 'a curve causes considerable strain to be placed on the parts connecting the cars or connecting an engine tender and the car following, and there is more or less of a tendency to lift a car off of the track under such conditions, especially if the pivotal conconnected in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken in the plane of line 22 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is'a sectional view taken in the plane of line 33 of Fig. 1.

The various novel features of my invention will be apparent from the following description and drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

Referring to the figures of the drawings it will be noted that I have shown a draft yoke having the usual upper and lower arms 10 and 11 which extend forwardly to form the upper and lower members of a hood or pocket having integrally formed side members l2 and 13. These side members 12 and 13 are provided respectively with openings 14 and 15 which receive a horizontally extending pin or key 16 which extends between said side members 12 and 13. Slidably mounted upon this pin 16 is a pivotal bearing member 17 having convex'external surfaces 18 for cooperating with concave surfaces 19 formed within an end portion of a coupler shank 20, the coupler shank 20 and the bearing member 17 having a relative pivotal action, the bearing member in addition having a lateral sliding action .upon the pin 16. Accordingly there is a relative pivotal action between the yoke and the draw-bar shank and also a relativebody lateral movement. It is apparent, therefore, with such a connection between the drawbar yoke and the draw-bar shank that a train of cars may pass from one track to another, enter a siding or round a curve more readily and at the same time place less strain upon the connecting parts in question than heretofore has been possible. At the same time it is easier by means of this sliding pivotal connection to make a coupling between two cars on a curve. It will be appreciated that this connection may be between a coupler shank and a tender pocket, as well as between a coupler shank and draw-bar yoke. The pin 16 may be of any desired shape but preferably is of the section shown to resist effectively all pulling and butfeting strains. The pin 16 may be held in place by any suitable means, such as keys 21 extending through bosses of the side hood members 12 and 13 and through pin 16.

The parts may be assembled readily by inserting the pin 16 through one side hood member, then through the pivotal bearing member 17 and then through the other side hood-member, it being understood that the bearing member 17 is within the coupler shank 20 at the time. To disassemble the parts in question the action is reversed.

It is my intention to cover all modifications of the invention falling within the spirit and scope of the following claim.

I claim:

In a draft gear, the combination of a draw bar yoke, a key carried by said yoke, a single pivotal bearing member slidably mounted on said key and having its ends eonvexly carved in plan, a coupler shank having a centrally disposed horizontal transversely extending, opening, the front and back walls of which opening are eoneavely curved to conform to the curved ends of the bearing member, the width of the bearing member being (Jo-extensive with the width of the shank, the parts being ranged whereby the draw bar member has a horizontal pivotal movement about the 10 he Y and bodily lateral movement on the key. Signed at Englewood, N. J this 14th day of July, 1919.

EDWVIN C. \VASHBURN. 

